Friday, March 16, 2007

TorquemadAlberto in Hot Water

Looks like having the Chimp refuse to grant clearances to investigate Torturin' Al has caught up with them both.

Remember this story from the Times last July?

WASHINGTON, July 17 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that President Bush had personally decided to block the Justice Department ethics unit from examining the role played by government lawyers in approving the National Security Agency’s domestic eavesdropping program.
What happened? Well, nothing - because, at the time, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee was Arlen Specter, who talks a good fight when it comes to the rule of law.

After all, it's not like it would ever surface again - like, for instance, if the Democrats won the midterms and took over the chairmanships of the committees.

Oh, wait. Look what's back:

3-16-07, 9:18 am

(APN) ATLANTA – At least four Members of US Congress and four US Senators today raised concerns about a breaking report in the National Journal that US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appears to have known he was going to be negatively implicated in a review at the US Department of Justice’s (USDOJ) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) when he advised President Bush regarding the review. The review was later squashed when Bush denied security clearances OPR needed to investigate Gonzales.

So, would blocking an investigation into yourself be considered impeachable? How about covering the ass of your lackey when some well-deserved accountbility is coming his way by blocking the investigation for him?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Yes, I'd say it's highly impeachable, and comparable to the current investigations into the fired attorneys.

Once appointed (as the attorneys were and as Fitzgerald was) these individuals positions in the federal government require separation from Executive Branch oversight. Their oversight becomes the responsibility of the Legislative Branch (as demonstrated by the Senate confirmation of the attorneys upon their nomination, and the current committe investigations in the House).

Gonzales not only violated the law, he's most likely perjured himself also, in previous testimony to the Senate.

Good post, I like your Op-Ed style. Let information (and it's mediums) continue to evolve! :)